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Topic: New Music From Italy (Read 15005 times)

I've just ordered the new release from Gigi, Aerial View, as well as all four new releases from Hic Sunt Leones (including new music from Alio Die, Zeit, Stefano Scala, and (I think,) one of my personal favorites, Aglaia. Any news about them?

Undershadow

[...] and (I think,) one of my personal favorites, Aglaia. Any news about them?

I read a Forum post from Brian elsewhere (can't recall which thread) that mentioned a collab between the Aglaia dudes and Alio Die that's to be released, surprisingly, on the Infraction label. I also had this confirmed by Jason @ Infraction; he didn't say when it's due but it's definitely a goer.

There are two new Aglaia related. The unreleased one on Infraction, with Alio Die. Then there's the fourth Aglaia album, called Unprofaned Twilight (where do these titles come from?), which is a joint release between HSL and Faria.

Undershadow

There are two new Aglaia related. The unreleased one on Infraction, with Alio Die. Then there's the fourth Aglaia album, called Unprofaned Twilight (where do these titles come from?), which is a joint release between HSL and Faria.

Undershadow

While we're talking Italian... did we ever hear anything more from Sostrah Tinnitus after those couple of releases like Nebra on Umbra and a A Rain Water Stratum... on Mystery Sea... I thought he showed promise, but that Tinnitus seems to have faded away.

I know nothing about Stefano Scala. Can someone please enlighten me about his PREVIOUS Hic Sunt Leones release, or the new one?

As for Sostrah Tinnitus, he has two excellent discs not mentioned above, but I think they came out before the Umbra and Mystery Sea ones: "L'odore del Ramo Spezzato" and "Les Debris de Lete", both pressed CD's on Beyond Productions. Don't know if they are still in print.

I also followed Sostrah Tinnitus with great interest. The last thing I bought of his (aside from the excellent ep on Penumbra) was a limited CDR called Libellvs Alchemicvs Aegypticvs on the Opaco label run by Andrea Marutti of Amon/Never Known. It was, like most of ST's stuff, limited to 100 copies. It's pretty good, too.

[...] and (I think,) one of my personal favorites, Aglaia. Any news about them?

I read a Forum post from Brian elsewhere (can't recall which thread) that mentioned a collab between the Aglaia dudes and Alio Die that's to be released, surprisingly, on the Infraction label. I also had this confirmed by Jason @ Infraction; he didn't say when it's due but it's definitely a goer.

It's a go, yes. The date is TBA, not for elusiveness sake, just there are details that need to be set. Artwork namely and a final master. The first demo version is really nice...I became a fan of Aglaia after the 'mondi sensibili' disc on Hic Sunt Leones...and I've been an AD fan as far back as around 'fissures' and 'suspended feathers'. I mentioned to Stefano Musso (Mr. AD) the discs that I enjoyed the most when we first started to discuss about doing a release. This new collab. brings the best out of both IMO.

Undershadow

Aglaia are an Italian duo, one of whom, I believe, is a psychotherapist, so their music often gets associated with all the healing/meditation-related stuff. Personally, I find it more engaging than a lot in that vein, though it can sometimes sail a little close to the wind of what I'll term "New Age" (pardon my shorthand). Three Organic Experiences is the first and best known release of theirs, but I think the third album

Mondi Sensibili is the most satisfying - though all three are quality.

Haven't had the chance to play the Zeit, but I have to say Alio Die's Aura Seminalis is excellent. Quite a musical departure sonically from what we've come to expect from Musso, yet still recognizably Alio Die. I was really surprised while listening to it: sounds like a different artist, somehow. It's closest musically to the rather medieval Eleusian Lullaby (though without an emphasis on vocals), with an opiate drift that's tough to describe. Almost like listening to an absinthe dream Percy Shelley might have had. Very, very nice.

Zeit's Waves From The Sky is tremendous-what a surprise from Tomasso Cimo, a/k/a Zeit. While incorporating many of the Hic Sunt Leones staples (environmental recordings, mythical ambience, "found" instruments,) this record harks back to older recordings with its unexpected (and totally endearing) use of mellotron. If I had to compare this work to that of any other artist, I would say David Parsons, which is meant as high praise. This is a very accessible CD which would not sound out of place on ECHOES (word up, John D!) Worth the many Euros, I believe. I agree with Brian that the Alio Die is a welcome departure from the oft-repeated style of many recent zither laden recordings, and I've not listened to Stefano Scala's Impermanence, which is a musical Tibetan travelogue, enough yet to have an informed opinion.

I HAVE listened to Oophoi's An Aerial View, and find it to be a gentle, un-cliched "Ice Age" recording, with bits of theremin popping up to add an unusual and different sound to Gigi's palette. This recording is on the "Glacial Movements" label. I still have not heard the Aglaia recording.

Undershadow, thanks for the visual; just looking at the covers, and particularly that of Mondo Sensibili, is a calming experience. I believe that Gianluigi Toso is the "therapist" of the duo, though it would be doing Aglaia a profound disservice to throw them in with the glut of "medical ambient" recordings to sleep, meditate, or schtupp by. To my ears, this is great music; if it happens to provide a "service," that is purely incidental to the creation of the music, not the putative reason for its existence (we've all seen too many "Music To Sleep By" type recordings, some actually recorded by "doctors" of some sort.)

I also agree that while all three Aglaia recordings are well worth purchasing, to date the gem of the three is Mondo Sensibili, one of my two favorite recordings from 2006, the other being Oophoi's Arpa di Sabbia, (this is purely be release date; I didn't get my copy of Arpa, perhaps Gigi's finest, until 2007.

Given the cost of obtaining Aglaia music, wouldn't it be lovely to see an Aglaia recording on Hypnos?

Undershadow

Undershadow, thanks for the visual; just looking at the covers, and particularly that of Mondo Sensibili, is a calming experience.

[...]

Given the cost of obtaining Aglaia music, wouldn't it be lovely to see an Aglaia recording on Hypnos?

You're welcome, Gordon. In re: a release on a US label, didn't you see me mention earlier in the thread that there's a collab between the Aglaia dudes and Alio Die coming on Infraction, so we will get some cheaper good(ie)s from Aglaia

Gordon, thanks for the review of the Zeit disc. Really looking forward to hearing it. Also I agree, Mondi Sensibili is the best of the three Aglaia releases, although I've not heard the new one on Faria yet, "Unprofaned Twilight." I'm waiting until Soleilmoon gets it so save some cash.

Undershadow and some others have mentioned "Sostrah Tinnitus," whose real name is the pedestrian Mario Costa. I enjoy his CDs on Gig's label, Nebra and Favi di Fiele, but his best CD may be the tinkly L'Odore del Ramo Spezzato, which translates to........(c'mon you Italian scholars!)

Mario is not unaware that "tinnitus" is in fact a medical condition characterizied by a ringing in the ears; I'm not sure why every ambient Italian musician seems to have at least one pseudonym, but they might as well be humourous.

OK, it's official: Zeit's "Waves from the Sky" is truly magnificent. God, this album has it all: drones, field recordings, sequencers, mellotrons, guitars, bass...this feels like a celebration of so many great influences, from 70's cosmic music to ambient minimalism to organic ambience. Stunning!! I highly recommend this disc, one of the very best of 2008 so far.

Logged

Undershadow

Undershadow and some others have mentioned "Sostrah Tinnitus," whose real name is the pedestrian Mario Costa. I enjoy his CDs on Gig's label, Nebra and Favi di Fiele, but his best CD may be the tinkly L'Odore del Ramo Spezzato, which translates to........(c'mon you Italian scholars!)

Mario is not unaware that "tinnitus" is in fact a medical condition characterizied by a ringing in the ears; I'm not sure why every ambient Italian musician seems to have at least one pseudonym, but they might as well be humourous.

OK, I have enough of a background in Italian to report that “L’odore del ramo spezzato” translates as: “The Fragrance of the Broken Branch”. Sounds to me a bit like one of ol’ Matty Grassow’s snappy choon-confections. “Favo di Fiele”, in contrast, comes out as a more discomfiting “Honeycomb of Gall” - or possibly “Hive of Bile”, or “Bile Hive”, depending on your preferred cadence. Hmm.. HIVE OF GALL smacks of a Black Metal bandname, and GALLHIVE has a ring of shoegaze about it (y’know, echoes of Slowdive).Interestingly (or not, as the case may be), the first S. Tinnitus release was entitled “Smell Of Moisture After The Rain” (http://www.discogs.com/release/887370)– surprisingly in English, not Italian, though in compensation it did feature “Il Cimitero Delle Tartarughe” (“The Cemetery of Turtles”). Further comparative linguistic titular trivia: on “Favo di Fiele”, following the inelegantly named “Ascensional Air Columns” is “Lento Crescere Di Muffe”, which would have been “Slow Growing of Moulds” rendered in English. Hard to know which works best in this unalluring combination, but the English version has some nice assonance to it - all those long ‘o’ sounds... gotta a lowing thing goin’ on... <moo> Aaaanywaaay...

Regarding the vexed question of what to actually call your Italian Dark Ambient baby, I’m not sure about these guys’ names. I mean, SOSTRAH TINNITUS is not something I’d feel too comfy asking for in a shop (so thank god for net retailers!). Now I find there’s a bloke called Andrea Penso, who’s decided to call himself SELAXON LUTBERG for some reason (at http://www.selaxonlutberg.tk/ he can be viewed disporting himself in a dubious deer suit). Now I dunno about you guys, but I think if I were actually called Selaxon Lutberg, I couldn’t wait to ditch it and be ANDREA PENSO – it just hangs better. Anyway, drifting segueway-preamble to a link to some free music at http://lamaingaucheprod.free.fr/012.htm, which is not bad.